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Busted down from detective, no longer part of the Major Crime section of the fraud unit with Durham Region police, and out some $35,000 in salary over the next nine months as a result of his demotion to constable first-class.

That’s one step short of outright job termination under the penalty guidelines of the Police Act.

All because he pulled a moronic bit of monkeyshine, tweeting nasty messages on a “prank” twitter account to Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin.

To wit (t’wit): “YOU SIR ARE A COMPLETE DOUCHE BAG! Why don’t you stick your big French nose up your ass instead of business it doesn’t belong.”

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And: “@Ont__Ombudsman “is a carded member of Al Qaida.”

There was also this yip aimed at Toronto Councillor Janet Davis: “You are a real expert huh? Douchebag city counselor? (sic) Were you there? You need to keep your idiotic thoughts to yourself.”

Jeff Caplan is a big, barrel-chested veteran cop, with a slew of commendations for his investigative work. Doesn’t make him any less of an idiot, though, or creepy, regardless of how much flattering detail was entered into the record on Tuesday by his lawyer, such that it seemed the offending officer was actually receiving an award rather than drawing a severe bollocking for discreditable conduct.

It’s not simply that Caplan trashed Marin in those Aug. 8 tweets. He did so piggybacking on an account he created under the name of a fraud unit constable who worked under him, using the handle “Joe Mayo.” Caplan wrongly believed that he’d deleted the colleague’s name on the account history when he went gaga in the twittersphere. Marin then compounded the schmozzle by misidentifying the perp at a press conference originally called to announce that his office was investigating use-of-force guidelines following the fatal police shooting of teenager Sammy Yatim on a Toronto streetcar.

The ombudsman’s techie sleuths got the name backwards, causing Marin to put wrong information into the public domain — fingering a cop who was on holiday and had nothing to do with the mischief, for which Marin later apologized. The real officer whose identity Caplan had appropriated for the “parody account” — which wasn’t registered to Durham Region — also was unaware that his name had been taken in derogatory vain. Caplan has issued his sorry to him, too.

An agreed submission of facts between Caplan’s lawyer and Professional Standards investigators was read into the record: He acted alone, he damaged the reputation of the police force, he acknowledges the tweets were “wholly unacceptable and offensive” utterances.

He is a troll, a social media triggerman — a fraud expert who defrauded a fellow cop. It’s unlikely, says Insp. George Dmytruk of Professional Standards, that Caplan — 14 years on the force — will ever return to the fraud unit. “Was this just a joke? If so, it was a bad joke, embarrassing for him and for his service.”

Caplan will get his sergeant rank (equal to detective) back in nine months. He must also complete training in workplace harassment.

He rues the day, lawyer Joseph Markson told the hearing. “My client dug a hole for himself and hurt others,” he said, adding that Caplan had been “fatigued” and under stress. “He stupidly and impulsively gave into his angers. It is a scar that he will wear for the remainder of his police career.”

The hearing also heard that Caplan already had a letter of reprimand in his file “pursuant to an informal resolution” of a matter from a year ago, though particulars were not revealed.

In accepting the plea, McDonald noted tersely: “I do find you guilty of misconduct. The evidence is clear and convincing and substantiates all the allegations.”

He added: “You are a senior investigator with quite a large experience in the area of fraud and misrepresentation. You, of all people, should know that.”

But Caplan did know that and thought he could anonymously get away with it.

Marin, who was not present, told the Star afterwards that he is satisfied with the punishment. He’s still dissatisfied, however, with an investigation that, Marin says he was told, never considered proceeding against Caplan on criminal charges rather than a Police Act resolution.

“I was never impressed by how the investigation was conducted. These were not just offensive remarks; they were bigoted and racist and slanderous. It was hate tweets, hate propaganda.”

Because the tweets were sent just as Marin launched his use-of-force probe, they could also be construed as an attempt to intimidate, he says.

Marin met with Caplan shortly after the scandal broke. “He groveled, begging for his apology to be accepted.”

Which Marin did: “No point twisting the knife in the wound.”

But Marin remains exasperated with Durham Chief Mike Ewles, who slung around some nastiness of his own, accusing Marin of a “rush to judgment” by quickly and wrongly identifying the culprit, and that an apology was owed to that innocent party, which was given. Ewles — who has since announced his resignation, effective next May — never released Caplan’s name when he was charged. Withholding such information is standard practice until a disciplinary hearing is scheduled.

After Ewles ratcheted up the mutual slinging match, Marin condemned what he termed frat-house behavior in the Durham cop-shop. “Police stations are not expected to be run like National Lampoon’s Animal House.”

Yesterday, Marin was still blasting away at Ewles. “The investigators got their marching orders on this from their chief. It was all part of the old boys’ club. As a result, they low-balled the investigation right from the beginning.”

But Joe Mayo — bulltwit — has been detweeted. And Caplan could find himself patrolling twaffick.

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